Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
  • 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
  • Nordic Lifestyle by Susanna Heiskanen

Finished:

  • The Medici Manuscript by C.J. Archer

Total pages read this week: 388

Total books read: 5 of 80

TBR: -3 (Goal is -36)

I’ve been going from book to book looking for coziness and comfort, but not finding it in any of my current reads, which are mostly Non-Fiction. This time of year isn’t helping by making me want to sleep all the time thanks to the cold and lack of sunlight, and I’m struggling with my mood.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #138

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
My shelf is down several books to 1105. I finished and started a few books this past week.
This week’s books:

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1 by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP. Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite Fantasy authors, and I just love books full of cats.

The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish – KEEP. I remember seeing this on Jenny Lawson’s bookshelves at some point and thought it sounded interesting.

The Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul – GO. I’m not the intended audience of this book. While that has never stopped me from reading something I want to read, this book is truly written for young girls, and I’m going to let it go so that it hopefully finds its way into the hands of a girl who needs it.

Alice Takes Back Wonderland by David D. Hammons – GO. I have a gut feeling I won’t enjoy this book.  Maybe someone else will.

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier – KEEP.  This one sounds bizarre and I’m not sure I will enjoy it, but I’m willing to give it a chance.
My want-to-read shelf is down a couple more books to 1103. The next post will have yet more of the physical books I own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for January 7th – 13th.
  • I spent most of the past week stuck at home sick with some kind of stomach thing. I’m not entirely sure if it was something I ate or a bug, but it was not fun.
  • To live the Hobbit life this week, I wasn’t able to do much until this weekend when I went out to run an errand. After I accomplished that, I decided I wanted some comfort food (it was windy and icy cold out and I hadn’t wanted to go anywhere). I headed to an Irish pub-style restaurant and had Shepherd’s Pie and a much larger-than-expected glass of cider. Then I walked over to a bookstore, enjoyed perusing the shelves for a while, bought a few books, and got a London Fog at the cafe there before heading home.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.

  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 23,911
  • Miles: 9.78/15.34
  • Miles Outside: 3/100
  • Total Miles: 24.35/800
  • Active Minutes: 56/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup
  • 10-Minute Digital Declutter by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport
  • The Medici Manuscript by C.J. Archer
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Finished:

  • Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
  • The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie
  • The Dalai Lama’s Cat: Guided Meditations by David Michie

Total pages read this week: 405

Total books read: 4 of 80

TBR: -3 (Goal is -36)

I continue to start new books before finishing the ones I’m reading, mostly because I can’t decide what to continue reading and instead look at my shelves. Luckily, I did manage to finish a few books and get back on track for my TBR goal. I’m also lucky to have a three-day weekend with lots of reading time thanks to the weather being bad enough to make going out not worth it. I will probably be listening to audiobooks quite a bit since I also have a new puzzle to put together. Life is good!

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #137

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
My shelf is down several books to 1112. I finished and started a lot of books since my last post in December.
This week’s books:

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan – GO. The Boyfriend gave this to me after deciding he was no longer interested in reading it, and I’m no longer interested either.

The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl – KEEP. I read The Dante Club well over a decade ago and greatly enjoyed it. That fact is the only reason I’m willing to give this one a chance after seeing such low ratings for it on Goodreads.

We Have No Idea by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson – GO. I want to be the kind of person who wants to read this book, but I’m accepting that I, at least not at this time, am not.

The Nirvana Threads by Rachel Tremblay – KEEP. I have a feeling I will either love this book and not be able to put it down or I will despise it and stop reading within a couple of pages.

The Many-Colored Land by Julian May – KEEP.  I loved Jack the Bodiless and, based on that, the Boyfriend said I will probably enjoy this one as well, even though they’re very different stories but related in a weird wibbly wobbly timey wimey sort of way. Perhaps I’ll finally get around to reading it during this year’s #SciFiSummer reading challenge.
My want-to-read shelf is down a couple more books to 1110. The next post will have more of the physical books I own.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for January 1st – 6th.
  • To live the Hobbit life this week, I celebrated my birthday with pancakes for breakfast, a trip to the bookstore, and dinner at my favorite Korean restaurant. I also went to a Japanese market to get taiyaki, a fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste.  They go great with hot chocolate! I ventured outside to the park twice to go for a walk, and I went out to an after-work hangout with a few coworkers (something I have never done before) and had a good time over a pint.

  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 4/5
  • Steps: 35,682
  • Miles: 14.57/15.34
  • Miles Outside: 3/100
  • Total Miles: 14.57/800
  • Active Minutes: 140/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
  • Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie
  • 31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup

Finished:

  • Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Total pages read this week: 757

Total books read: 1 of 80

TBR: +1 (Goal is -36)

I have a habit of starting many different books around the beginning of the year before settling back into my usual reading patterns, and this year is no exception. On top of that, I nearly always go to a bookstore to celebrate my birthday, and while I only bought 2 books during this trip, that means I’ve put myself behind on my TBR goal when the year has barely started. It’s a good thing I’ve got the whole year ahead of me!

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment
  • This check-in is for December 24th – 31st.
  • I met my (adjusted) goal for the year!  With that in mind, my 2024 mileage goal will be 800 miles.  However, I’m adding a goal of 100 miles (of the 800) to be walked outdoors.  I would like to try several walking and easy hiking trails that aren’t too far from where I live, but I also live next door to a park with a paved loop I can walk whenever I want, no driving necessary.
  • My overall life goal for the year is to live a more Hobbit-like lifestyle, with my word for the year being “Hygge.” That doesn’t mean that I will be eating 7 meals a day or enjoying sweet treats regularly; instead, I’m simplifying, slowing down, and cozying up. Since my “diet” goal is to cut the sugar and fast food again (other than 1 sweet treat and 1 fast food meal a month), I’ll bake my monthly sweet treat instead of buying it, and I’ll go through my cookbooks and start trying the recipes that sound yummy on the weekends instead of going to restaurants. I’m going to garden again this year, with plans to expand to a 2nd raised bed and maybe grow a tea garden. I will enjoy lots of tea, whether in a thermos outdoors or reading a book indoors. Essentially, I will continue to work on all of the things I’ve been working on for years regarding my physical and mental health; however, my path to good health will look much different. It will be less about productivity and more about my quality of life.
  • I’m going to continue to track my stats Sunday through Saturday and post on Sundays. Since living the Hygge life isn’t about stats, I’ll also include a few sentences in my weekly posts about what activities I did or what things I decided to let go of to better reach my goal.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 43,112
  • Miles: 17.63/16.30
  • Total Miles: 775.22/775
  • Active Minutes: 84/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
  • Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Finished:

  • The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Total pages read this week: 338

Total books read: 101 of 80

This has been an excellent reading year! I finished 21 books over my goal, read nearly 30,000 pages, and rated 12 books at 5 stars (10% of my total reading for the year).

In 2024, I’m participating in a couple of reading challenges, #COYER and #BookSpin to tackle my digital TBR. I own over 400 ebooks and audiobooks combined, some of which I’ve had for more than a decade, so I would like to chip away at that a little bit while enjoying my new Kindle.

While I’m keeping my overall reading goal at 80 books for the year, I plan to reduce my TBR by 36 books. My plan for this is to change up my habits a bit by going for walks outside instead of going to the bookstore, which will also help me with my 2024 fitness goals (I’ll write more about that tomorrow in my #FitReaders post).

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for December 17th – 23rd.
  • I got a lot of walking in during my trip to Arizona!
  • My final post for this year will be on New Year’s Day so I can add my totals for the 31st.
  • If you have a Fitbit, you can find me HERE.
  • Active Days: 3/5
  • Steps: 47,183
  • Miles: 19.08/16.30
  • Total Miles: 757.59/775
  • Active Minutes: 89/150